The Dickinson press., 1887-10-01
JULIA WARD HOWE.
ORIGIN OF THE "BATTLE HYMN
OF THE REPuBLIc."
Extract from Letter Written by Mrs.
II"wc-The Famous Hymn Composed
at Washington in 1sG1-How tho
NcrScS Were First Penncd

The one absorbing thought in Washington
was the army, and the time of visitors like
ourselves was mostly employed i'll visits to
the camps and hospitals. Such preaching as
we heard was either to the soldiers or about
them and the issues of the war. Such pray
ers as We're made were uttered in stress and
agony of spirit, for the war itself was a dread
sorrow to Us.
1t happened one day that, in company with
some friends, among whom was tho Rev.
james Freeman Clarke, attended review
of or Troops at a distance of several miles
rnp'r'l hy Il sudden attack of the enemy, and
instead of the Spectacle promised u.s. we saw
somr re-rnforcenents gallop hastily to the
aid of n small force of our own which had
been surprised and surrounded
Our return to the city was impedetl by tho
homeward marching of the troops, who
nearly filled the highway. Our progress was
therefore very slow and, to beguile our time,
We began to sing army songs among which
the John Brown song soGn came to mind.
Some one remarked upon the excellence of
the tune, and | said that l had often wished
to write some words which might he sung to
it. We sang, however, the words which are
already we'll known as belonging to it, and
our singing seemed to please the soldiers.
vii" surrounded us like Il river, and who
themselves took up the strain, in the intervals
crying to us: Good for you"
slept rs usual that night, but awoke be-
fore dawn tho next morning, and soon found
myself trying TO weave together certain
lines which, though not entirely suited to the
John Brown music, We're yet capable of
being sung to it. l lay still in the dark
room, line nftcr line shaping itself in my
mind, and verse after VERSE; When I had
thought out The last Of these felt | must
make an effort to place them beyond fthe
danger of hcing effaccl by morning nap.
1sprang out Of he'd and groped about in tho
dim twilight to find {; bit of paper and tho
stump Of II pen which remembered to have
had the evening before. Having found these
articles, nn'l having long been accustomed to
srrhhlc with scarcely any sight of what
might write i'll Il room lnade dark for the re-
pose of my infant children, began to write
the lines "f my poem in like manner IL was
always careful To tleciplcr these lines within
twenty four hours, as had found them per-
tcrtly illosible after Il longer period On
the occasion spoken of completed my writ
Ing, went back to bed and fell fast asleep.
FAMOUS AT LAST.
A day or two later, l repeated my verses
to MIR. Clarke, who wns much pleased with
them. soon after my return to Boston,
carried the lines TO James Fields, at that time
editor of The Atlantic Monthly. The title,
battle Hymn of the Republic" was of his
devising. The poem was published soon after
i'll the magazine, and did not Mt first receive
any especial mention. We were all too much
absorbed in watching tho progress of the war
to give much heed to n copy of verses moro
or less. think it may have been year
later that my lines, in some shape, found
their way into II southern prison in which n
number Of our soldiers wcrc confined An
army chaplain who had been imprisoned with
them came To Washington soon after his re.
lease, and in II speech or lecture of some sort.
described the singing of the hymn by himself
and his companions i'll that dismal place of
confinement People now began to ask who
had written the hymn, and the authors name
wis easily established by reference to tho
magazine. Tic battle hymn was often sung
i'll the course of the war, and under a great
variety of circumstances Among other
anecdotes, have heard of its once having
led Il "forlorn hope through desperate en-
counter to a successful issue.
Tho wild echoes of the fearful struggle
have long since died away and with them all
memories of umlin,lncss between ourselves
und our southern brethern. But those who
once loved my hymn still sing it.-Julia
Ward Howe in The Century.